Phreys



3 Sheets-She et 1.

S. C. HUMPHREYS.

WATER-WHEEL. No.188,911. Pagtented March 27,1877.

,2Q W ff W Z JW I f L (2L 0 Q, l? Gs ugxwllun Mmmm um Ml, V

wlTNassEs 6M I MMT/Eli?,

l byz/m de. ATTORNEYS.

3 Sheets-Sheet 2 S. C. HUMPHREYS. WATER-WHEEL.

No. 188,911. Pmma March 27,1877.

.IIE J' "il l il r I' I L L z z ZI il C: E ATTORN EYS 7 rNvENToR wlTNEssEs Zr N. PETERS. PHOTOvLITHOGHAFHER. WASHINGTON. Il O.

SSheets-Sheet 3. S. C. HUMPHREYS.

. WATER-WHEEL. No.188,911. Patented March 27,1877.

W'TNESSES INVENTOR @a fg@ @a Y 5MM 7a/Q f i gee-2' ATTORNEYS,

PATENT OFFICE.

SAMUEL (3.'HMPHREYS, OF INDIAN GREEK, WEST VIRGINIA.

l ViMPRovEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification formingrpart of Letters Patent No.l'8,9 l E dated March 27, 1877; application tiled l December 9, 1876.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I', Dr. SAMUEL C. HUM- 'PHREYS, of Indian Creek, in the coun-ty of Monroe and Stateof West Virginia, have invented a new and valuable Improvement in Water-Wheels; and l do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ot' the construction and operation of the same, reference y being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification,

and to the letters andigures of reference :marked thereon.

Figure l of the drawings is arepresenta tion of a side elevation of my water-wheel, .and Fig. 2 is a centraly vertical sectional view thereof. Fig. 3 is a bottom view of my wheel; :and Figs. 4, 5, and 6 are detailviews of the same.

This invention relates to water-wheels.

The nature of said invention consists, principally, in the construction of a water-wheel provided with a number of helical anges which are notched or divided, so as to vallow the passage of Water vertically from one to another of said flanges, as hereinafter set forth.

It also consists in various auxiliary devices and combinations, hereinafter described.

In the accompanying drawings, A designates a cylindrical casing, within which rotates on a vertical axis a water-wheel, B, the

shaft C of which wheel has its lowerjbearing in a detachable step or ink, D. (Shown in detail in Fig. 4.) Said ink D is supported by means of a bridge, E, which extends across and through casing A, near the lower end thereof. Said bridge, as shown in detail in Fig. 5, is recessed on both sides at e e, near both extremities. Said recesses are located outside of said casing A, when said bridge is in position to support shaft C, and they receive the bifnrcated lower ends f f of wedges -or keys F F, which hold said bridge in shape.

Said wheel B is provided with a number of helical flanges, blades, or buckets, B' B', the .upper edges of which are wedge-shaped or beveled, so as to admit the water from above Iwithin said danges with little resistance. AEach one of said flanges or blades is deeply motched or cut at b, so as to allow the water, or a portion thereof, to fall through upon the blade or ange next below at said point, thus giving an additional impulse to the wheel B. These notches or openings b are made about the middle of said blades or iianges.

The water is cut oil from said wheel B, or let in thereon, by means of a disk-shaped gate. G, which forms the head of said cylindrical. casing A when closed. Said gate is perforated in the middle to allow the passage of the upper part of shaft C, on which said head or gate Gr slides vertically when being opened or closed.

H H designate two vertical standards, secured to the outside of casing A opposite to one another, and rising above the same. Said standards support a cross-beam or cross-bar, I, which is perforated in the middle 'to allow the passage of shaft C. To said cross-beam I, on the upper side thereof, and around the said middle perforation, is attached an annular upwardly and inwardly inclined metal shell, J, which incloses two semi-annular bearing-blocks, K. (Shown in detail in Fig. 6.) Said blocks K K are secured together by means of dowel pins k k on one of them, and corresponding recesses or sockets k' k' on the other. They constitute the upper bearing Y of said shaft.

Ldesignates a lever of the iirst kind, which 'is pivoted to one of said standards H, and is bifurcated at its inner end, so as to form slightlydiverging arms l l, which are attached by headed rods or bolts L' L' to the upper side of gate G. On said headed rods or bolts are fixed collars'l' l', against which the arms L l strike to depress and close said gate. The perforations in said arms l l, through which said bolts L' L' pass, are made sufficiently large to prevent binding. Said bolts or rods L' are preferably screw-threaded, so as to be adjustable vertically.

To the outer end of lever L a staff or arm, M, is hung by a flexible joint, M', so that it can be operated conveniently from several points at a greater or less distance from the base of cylindrical casing A.

Gate G is prevented from jarring in its descent by springs N N on the upper side of cross-bar I. On the tops of said springs rest disks or washers N' N', from which two rods, O O, extend down through said springs and cross-bar to said gate. Said rods are provided at their tops with eyes or enlargements O O'. Said rods O O may be attached to said disks ot washers N', or may work through them, as preferred. These springs N N assist; in raising gate G, and prevent it from closing with a jar.

The semi-annular bearngblocks K. K, herenbef'ore described, are secured tothe top of cross-bar I by means of binding-screws K K', which pass up through said cross-bar, and enter said blocks K K from below. The holes k2 k2 in said cross bar I, through which said screws pass, are elongated, so as to allow them to be moved toward or from shaft C by adjusting-screws l' I', which pass through the sides of said cross-bar I, and bear against said binding screws K' K. By means of said screws I' I said semi-annular blocks are ad justed toward one another, so as to take up wear. The doWel-pins k k may both be attached to one block, or both to the other; or

one of said pins may be attached to each one of said blocks.

The standards and cross-bar hereinbefore described are attached together by tenons and mortises, and transverse rods or pins P P. Any other known form ot' suitable fasted ing may, however, be employed instead.

Various other changes may be made Without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as newand desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A waterwheel provided with helical flanges or blades, which are notched or out.

transversely, so as to allow the water to fall from one flange to another, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of semi-annular bearing-blocks K K with adjustingscrews I I',

attaching-screws K K', and cross-bar I, hav- V 5. The combination ot' lever L, having longitudinally-slotted arms l l, with headed rods or bolts L L', having collars l l', substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the above I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

DR. SAMUEL CABOT HUMPHREYS.

Witnesses:

DANIEL BooN, J oHN W. FRANoIs. 

